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[5 Skull Comic Review] AVP: Fire and Stone #4 Is The Conclusion You’ve Been Waiting For

Published

9 years ago

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“AVP: Fire and Stone”#4 is the first “Fire and Stone” #4 that feels like a finale.  In part because, chronologically, it is.  But also because our characters complete their arc in this series, and because of just how awesomely action packed this issue is.  If you were left unfulfilled by the “Aliens” and “Prometheus” endings, fear not.  This is the (soft) conclusion you’ve been waiting for.

STK659289

WRITTEN BY: Christopher Sebela
ART BY: Ariel Olivetti
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: January 14, 2015

Reviewed By Eric Switzer

Though we still have “Predator” #4 and “Omega” to look forward to, this issue offers a satisfying conclusion to the Elden and Francis’ story: Francis, as you may have suspected,  passes the accelerant through Elden and then into himself and mutates into a hulking cancer monster.  Watching the father and son team dismember the accelerated Predator is a fine reward for reading this far, and witnessing Elden send Francis off gently into that good night is both cathartic and somewhat complicated.  Elden has become a really fascinating victim in the vein of Roy Batty, a fellow android just as complicated and, in many ways, endearing.  I have empathy for Elden, and I find the fact that a character like Elden, who is so utterly other, is relatable to be astonishing.

I think what we have ultimately learned from this series is that the accelerant is not something to be fucked with.  There is no amount of filtering, transferring, or manipulating that can make this stuff anything other than monster juice.  In fact, the more you mess with the stuff the more potent and horrifying it seems to become.  Why all these different characters see it as a cure or an answer and not a weapon is beyond me.  Perhaps it is the allure of power that twists their minds, like the One Ring or the Phoenix Force.

This will certainly be coming to a head between Elden, Galgo, Angela, and the Predator in the next to two issues, and you can bet they won’t all survive.  My money is on the Predator killing Elden and taking his head as a trophy, and Angela taking Galgo’s beloved ship, ditching him behind in Lv-223 just as he did in “Prometheus”.  The aliens will fight for Elden and and Engineer will show up at the end and vaporize Galgo.  I could be completely off, and I’d be happy to be, because now that we are at the end of the timeline anything could happen.  This is the climax we’ve been waiting for.  If you’ve stuck with it thus far, I have a feeling the end is going to blow your socks off.

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Eric Switzer  is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles.  His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality.  He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com. 

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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10 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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